CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
Not even a year after they undermined The Indigenous Voice Referendum by slapping their filthy logos onto as much YES campaign material as possible, Corporate Australia is back to support their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander friends.
This is despite the fact that their involvement is clearly counter-productive to any actual cause, at least while the the cost-of-living crisis continues to make Australians wince at the sight of our spoilt and politically-protected corporations that have caused so much of the current economic distress.
But as they’ve all made clear, from our price-gouging supermarket duopoly, through to our tax-dodging multi-professional services giants that are slowly replacing the public service, Corporate Australia are not fair-weather friends to Indigenous people.
Not as long as focus groups keep telling them that their brands would benefit from appearing to give a fuck about vulnerable people.
That means the gays can also expect unconditional support, as statistics continue to show a marginalisation of LGBTI communities in Australia.
But this kind of allyship can be exhasting in 2024, especially when you’ve got double the workload. Who would’ve thought that Reconciliation Week would ever clash with Pride Month? Certainly not the social media managers or advertising gurus who are supposed to keep on top of all forms of performative symbolism for corporate Australia.
In corporations right across Australia, the head office is currently scouring their pay-rolls for a two-fa. Can they find a gay person who is also black, and would look on the side of the bus, or on a pull-up banner in the lobby?
“It would be cheapest if we could combine both of these campaigns into one” says the head of Culture and Inclusion at BWP (Betoota White Phosphorus), seemingly unaware that by referring to social justice observances as ‘campaigns’ he’s completely missed the point.
“If we can get gay and black in one photo it’d be perfect. Perhaps even the one human body.”
“Someone said we had someone in a call team that was gay and black. Now we just need to giove them a real office and make them look like a valuable member of the team. Also find out what kind of black. I don’t want to make the mistake of putting another African on the front page of a Reconciliation Action Plan again haha.”
“Can we put a big yellow circle in the middle of rainbow flag. How does this work?”
